


Poker Pair Week 2k18

by BisexualBookman



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: M/M, but what else is new, mainly just these two being major dorks, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 03:32:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15501384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BisexualBookman/pseuds/BisexualBookman
Summary: Prompts from Poker Pair week 2k18





	1. June 24th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Disbelief

Allen signed a frustrated sign, rubbing one hand over his face, the other clutching the steering wheel. He could see Tyki wince out of the corner of his eye, knowing what was coming. A few moments passed, the sound of the radio the only sound in the quiet car. 

“Holy shit Tyki, I can’t believe this!” Allen finally said, Tyki shifting in the passenger seat. 

“What?” Tyki said, raising his hands in a ‘so what’ gesture, “I thought it was the same for everyone.” 

“You thought everyone couldn't read a board that was two feet away from them?” Allen deadpanned. Tyki made an insulted noise. 

“Tyki, in the five years I’ve known you have you ever been to the eye doctor?” 

At Tyki's negative, Allen sighed. 

“How about ever? In your twenty-nine years of life have you ever been to an eye doctor?” 

Silence came from the other man. 

“...Ahhh...”

“Tyki!” Allen wailed. The car came to a stop, Allen choosing to cradle his head in his hands. He slid his hands down his face before looking at Tyki. 

Said man at least had the gall to look embarrassed, avoiding Allen’s eye contact. 

‘Not that he could see my eyes,’ Allen groused to himself. 

“How have you never been to the eye doctor?” Allen questioned, bracing himself for Tyki’s answer. 

“I never thought it was important.” 

Allen’s mind stopped working at that sentence. He felt it stutter to a halt, he had prepared himself for a lot of answers, but nothing quite like that. His eyes blinked rapidly. 

“You...never thought...it was important...?” Allen said haltingly. “Even after not being able to see anything your entire life?!” 

“Well, obviously I know it’s important now,” Tyki said defensively. 

“Oh my god, Tyki,” Allen said, shaking his head. He quickly glanced over at Tyki out of the corner of his eye, seeing the older man crossing his arms and pouting. Not that Tyki would ever admit that though. 

Allen sighed, feeling a little guilty for getting so mad at Tyki. A few moments of silence passed before Allen spoke up. 

“At least you’re not as bad as Bakanda,” Allen said. Tyki looked over at Allen, a devious smile on his face. 

“What did he do?” 

“He thought that babies came from storks until only a year or two ago,” Allen laughed, remembering the conversation, and the inevitable blow up Kanda had. 

Tyki laughed, clutching his stomach, tears welling in his eyes. 

“Storks!” Tyki howled, still laughing. 

“Yeah, so, at least you’re not as stupid as he is,” Allen said, shooting Tyki a teasing look. 

“Thanks, boy,” Tyki said, full of sarcasm. 

“You’re welcome!” Allen chirped, another stop light allowing him to lean over and kiss Tyki’s cheek. 

They lapsed into another silence for a few moments, only to have it broken by Tyki starting to laugh again. Allen could hear him gasp out ‘storks’ and ‘two years?!,’ in between his laughter. 

Allen giggled, Kanda was going to skin him alive, but it was worth it.


	2. June 25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Schoolboy, denial

Allen ran down the schools steps, his backpack thumping against his back. As he hopped down the last step he heard his name being called, looking up he saw a familiar head of curly black hair. 

“Allen! Allen! Watch this!” Tyki shouted. He raised his arms above his head before throwing his body weight forward to land on his hands. His legs shot up in the air, a look of triumph on his face as he completed the handstand, smiling to himself as he saw Allen running towards him. 

This ought to impress him. 

Tyki’s balance wavered, a look of mild panic crossing his face. He shifted slightly, his mild panic developing into full blown panic when he felt his legs start to fall. 

“Tyki!” 

A shout of pain left Tyki as he careened sideways into a prickle bush. He felt his uniform get stuck in the prickles, tugging slightly, hoping not to rip his pants. Sheryl would kill him if he did. 

“Are you okay Tyki?” Allen yelped, leaning over Tyki, a worried look on his face. Tyki’s breath caught in his throat, dazzled by the sun shining from behind Allen that seemed to illuminate him. He could feel the beginnings of a blush on his face from the sight, and quickly smiled at Allen, hoping he couldn’t see it. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, but it seems I’m stuck...” Tyki said, a rueful look crossing his face. Allen giggled at the sight of Tyki splayed out in the bush, school uniform askew, trying not to get pricked. Tyki nearly let out a dreamy sigh at the delightful sound.

“Here, let me help,” Allen said, reaching to help get Tyki out. 

“Ah, thanks...” Tyki mumbled, downcast. There went his chance to impress Allen. Falling into a bush wasn’t exactly the most impressive thing. 

After a few moments of Allen carefully tugging, Tyki was finally free from the prickle bush. Tyki stood up, dusting off his pants, seeing the little holes in them. 

“Damn,” Tyki said, looking at a particularly big hole, “Sheryl’s going to be so mad.” Tyki could already hear the lecture coming. 

“Yeah, but it was really cool!” Allen said, an excited gleam in his eyes. Tyki’s heart lifted from his stomach only to start pounding wildly in his chest. A giddy smile crossed Tyki’s face and he was about to reply when a car horn interrupted them. They both looked over to see Sheryl leaning out the car window, trying to get Tyki’s attention. 

“Oh, Sheryl’s here, I guess you have to go now...” Allen said, sounding disappointed. Tyki smiled, ruffling Allen’s hair, ignoring the protests coming from the shorter boy. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow though!” Tyki said cheerfully. Allen smiled, waving as Tyki jogged away to the car. Getting in, he saw Sheryl shoot him a look. 

“Why do you have leaves stuck to you?” Sheryl asked, pulling out of the school’s parking lot. Tyki paused, his mind racing, seeing if he could come up with a plausible lie. 

“Were you trying to impress Allen again?” Sheryl questioned, already knowing the answer. 

“No!” Tyki answered, a little too quickly to be truthful. Sheryl just raised an eyebrow. 

“Okay, maybe I was,” Tyki pouted, crossing his arms and slumping down in his seat. “I was trying to do a handstand, and I did it! But I lost my balance and fell... into a prickle bush...” Tyki mumbled the last part. 

“Tyki, don’t mumble.” 

Tyki paused, heaving a sigh. 

“I fell into a prickle bush.” 

“Tyki!” Sheryl scolded, chastised the young boy. Tyki winced at the coming lecture. “Are your pants ruined? I swear Tyki, if you ruined them...” Sheryl trailed off letting the threat hang in the air, even though Tyki knew there was no real weight behind it. 

“...No...” Tyki said, avoiding Sheryl’s gaze. Sheryl just shook his head with an exasperated sigh, before huffing a small laugh. 

“What?! Why are you laughing?” Tyki said, getting annoyed. 

“Nothing, I just remember my schoolyard crushes.” 

“I don’t have a crush on Allen!” Tyki objected, his face scrunching up in embarrassment. 

Sheryl threw one of his hands up in a placating gesture. 

“All right, all right, sorry I mentioned it.” 

Tyki just humphed, looking out the window. A few moments passed in silence before Sheryl spoke up again. 

“I’m still mad about your pants though.“


	3. June 26th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Lover, pride

Tyki shifted in his cushioned seat, subtly wiping his sweaty palms on his suit pants. He winced slightly when he realized the woman seated next to him was staring. He turned away quickly, folding his hands together in his lap, trying to stop his fidgeting. It didn’t last long, however and soon he was playing with the strap of his watch, his hands stilling when he heard a giggle come from his side. He looked over to see the woman who had been looking at him earlier with a hand over her mouth, covering the smile that was on her face. 

“By the way you’re figeting, I’d think you where the one about to go on stage.” She said with a small laugh. Tyki let out a chuckle at the woman’s statement. 

“I’m so nervous I might as well be on that stage,” Tyki replied, clasping his hands tightly in his lap. 

“If you don’t mind me asking... Why are you so nervous?” 

Tyki’s smile stayed fixated on his face at the question. This conversation could go one of two ways...

“Ah, my... partner... it’s his first concert. He’s a little nervous so I guess it rubbed off on me.” Tyki let out a small laugh, rubbing his chin in slight embarrassment. His movements stilled when the other woman’s eyes lit up in excitement. 

“Oh, it’s his first concert! No wonder you’re so nervous! I should’ve guessed, I was the same when my wife had hers.” The woman shared a sympathetic smile with Tyki. 

Tyki’s shoulders relaxed, not even realizing that they had tensed up in the first place. 

“Your wife’s in it? What instrument does she play?” 

“The cello, this is her fifth or sixth concert. What does your partner play?” 

“The piano, he really is quite talented at it.” 

The woman ‘ooh’d’, quickly quieting down when the lights dimmed. 

The concert started, the woman and Tyki sharing excited grins. The announcer came on stage, thanking the crowd for coming and introducing the first performer. Said person came on stage, a violin in her hands, sitting down at the offered chair, before beginning to play. When her piece came to an end, she bowed to the crowd, quickly exiting the stage. 

Soon enough after a couple more performers, a woman came on stage with a large cello, the woman beside Tyki perking up, sitting up in her seat. Tyki smiled to himself, watching as the woman began to play. She was quite good, the flow of the song light, and melodious. Soon the song was over, the woman standing and bowing to the crowd’s applause. The woman beside Tyki clapped extra loud, a huge smile on her face.

When the woman left the stage, a large grand piano was rolled out on to the stage. Tyki’s heart started hammering in his chest, his palms beginning to sweat and his hands shaking from the nerves. He felt a delicate hand grasp his, looking over to see the woman beside him clutching his hand, giving it a slight squeeze and a wink. Tyki squeezed back, eyes soon fixated on the stage as a head of white hair shone in the light. 

He watched Allen bow to the crowd before taking a seat, his gloved hands poised above the ivory keys. Soon the air was filled with the soft sounds of the piano, the tune sounding almost bittersweet. Tyki’s heart clenched at the sight of Allen sitting there on the stage, having watched him, stood by him, as Allen overcame so many blocks, so many hurdles, to be able to sit on that stage. 

In the moment, Tyki couldn’t be happier to call him his partner. 

The piece began to turn from a sorrowful, bittersweet melody, to a more light, joyous tune. 

The stage began to blur as Tyki watched Allen play with such intense focus. Tyki blinked quickly to rid himself of his tears. It wouldn’t do him any good to start crying, it would only embarrass himself and Allen. He felt a pat on his hand, squeezing the woman’s hand in gratitude. He wasn’t the first one to be in this spot and he doubted he would be the last. 

Too soon the piece came to an end, Tyki clapping so hard he was sure he was going to hurt himself. After a few more performers, the lights came back on, signalling the end of the concert. Tyki stood, eager to congratulate Allen, a hand stopping him as he rose. He looked down to see the woman smiling a him, a twinkle in her eye. 

“Come, I know a shortcut.” 

—————————

They stood at the door where the performers would be exiting from, Tyki anxiously looking for a head of white hair. 

“Tyki!” He heard his name being called. He looked at the direction, seeing Allen weaving through the crowd of people. He approached Tyki, a surprised sound leaving him when Tyki pulled him in to a tight hug. 

“Congratulations, boy, you did amazing,” Tyki whispered in Allen’s ear. 

Allen squeezed Tyki before pulling back, a wide smile on his face. 

“Thank you,” Allen said, a gentle look in his eyes. 

A giggle sounded beside them, both men looking over to see the woman Tyki had been sitting beside, standing next to another woman. 

“You were quite amazing, despite it being your first concert.” 

“Ah, thank you very much,” Allen said with a smile, a light dusting of pink coming to rest on his cheek bones before the other half of the sentence registered in his mind and his expression turned confused. 

“How did you know it was my first concert?” 

“I was sitting next to your partner there, he was so nervous I almost thought he was supposed to be on stage!” The two women shared a laugh as Tyki could feel his face heat up. 

“Oh really? Was he now?” 

Tyki didn’t need to look at the shorter man to see the cat-like smirk on his face. He knew Allen wasn’t going to let him live this down. 

“He rarely gets flustered, you see, so it’s nice to hear that he was so nervous,” Allen finished, leaning up to place a kiss on Tyki’s cheek, giggling to himself when he saw Tyki’s cheeks get even more red. He grabbed Tyki’s hands and interwove their fingers together, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. 

The two woman laughed again, before saying their congratulations to Allen, making their leave soon after. But not before one of them caught Allen’s eye and gave him a smile and a wink. 

“Come on, let’s go home,” Allen said, resting his head on Tyki’s shoulders. Tyki silently agreed, the two men making their way to the car. As Tyki started up the car, he noticed Allen staring at him with the smug look again. 

“So,” Allen began. Tyki groaned to himself, knowing what was coming next. 

“You were really nervous, hmmm?” Allen said, his lips curved up in a demure smile. Tyki heaved a sigh, voicing his thought from earlier. 

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” 

Allen laughed, leaning over to plant a kiss on Tyki’s cheek, too close to his lips to be innocent. 

“Nope!” Allen said, popping the last letter, laughing at Tyki’s exasperated expression.


	4. June 27th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: Soldier, guilt

Tyki leaned against the brick wall, taking a long drag of his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs before breathing it out. His head thumped against the wall, too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the slight bite of the brick. Tyki closed his eyes, trying to still his trembling hands. Grief clawed at his heart as he fought not to recall what brought him here, to feel this way.

—

It had seemed like not too long ago that Tyki had been relaxing in another seedy tavern, in some decrepit little town, conning a bunch of the locals out of their money, when an Akuma passing as a human had come to deliver a message. The Akuma had told Tyki that the Millennium Earl was throwing a family dinner, and Tyki had been rightly confused since family dinners where only when the Akuma maker had big plans to share with his family. 

Nonetheless, Tyki had followed the Akuma, treading carefully through their piece of the Ark they had, not very eager to step in a hole and fall through the floor before he heard the news. 

Stepping through the doorway into the spacious room the Ark resided in, Tyki was ushered into the dining hall. 

As the dinning room doors opened, Tyki felt his eyes widen in surprise as his feet came to a stop. A phantom fist came around his heart and started squeezing, and Tyki wished more than anything that he could go back to that tavern, ignore the Akuma that came to get him, and never have to see the sight before him. 

For before him sat Allen, but it wasn’t him. The twist of his lips wasn’t Allen’s, it was too cruel, too mocking, not the soft smile that Allen would press against Tyki’s temple as they lay wrapped up in each other in a bed in some inn. This Allen’s eye’s were cold, violent, not shining with mirth or half-closed in pleasure as Tyki made Allen cry out his name. His skin was wrong too, it wasn’t a delicious pale pallor, one that Tyki loved to lick and bite and leave love bites on, much to the annoyance of Allen. No, this Allen’s skin was much too dark. 

Much too grey. 

Gold eyes passed over Tyki and that cruel smile was directed at him. He saw those once rose petal pink lips moving, but he heard no sounds, only the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. Which, in his honest opinion, sounded like it was beating much too fast. 

He looked around the table at his various family members scattered there, all with varying states of concern on their faces, all of them trying to get Tyki’s attention. Tyki felt bile rise in his throat. 

He turned and fled. 

It was instinct to flee from that thing that was inhabiting Allen’s body, instinct to run as far as possible from it, which is exactly what Tyki did. 

When his brain finally reconnected with his body, and he was in the proper mindset to stop and look at his surroundings, he realized he was in the town that he and Allen had last been in together. He had pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, striking a match and letting the flame catch on the cigarette, before leaning against the nearest wall to him. That’s how he had ended up here, trying to will his hands to stop shaking, his heart to stop aching, his eyes from becoming blurry. 

Tyki and Allen knew this was coming, but they both thought Allen had more time, so much more time. Tyki had been rooting for Allen, hoping beyond hope that Allen’s Noah wouldn’t take over. Tyki felt a pang go through him, one that he had trouble identifying, one that he did not often feel. After some thought he recognized it as guilt. For what he wasn’t sure. For not trying hard enough to keep Allen from being absorbed by his Noah, by not spending more time with Allen, for running from that thing that was now Allen. 

Tyki sighed and ran a hand through his hair, taking another drag from his cigarette. He stared down at the ground, tucking his hands in his pockets. He tried to will his thoughts away from Allen, but that’s all they kept circling back to. Allen’s smile, Allen’s laugh, Allen’s banter, Allen’s body against his own, Allen’s breathless voice ringing in his ears, Allen’s determination when he talked about fighting in the war. 

Tyki’s chest loosened a bit. That’s right. Allen was determined as all hell, there’s no way he’d allow that thing to take over. Allen was a soldier in this mess of a war, he would never give up easily. 

Tyki straightened up, a glimmer of hope resting in his chest, his resolve thickening. Tyki and Allen, they were both soldiers in this war, neither ready to give up on winning, and neither were ready to give up on each other. 

Tyki threw the cigarette down on the ground, stamping it out with the heel of his foot. He took a deep breath of the cold night air. Allen would need him now more than ever. If they were to both survive this war, Tyki would need to stay by Allen’s side, and try to bring him back. Tyki’s resolve was set. He turned and began heading down the alleyway, intending to call a piece of the ark, and go back to the family dinner, ready to stay with that thing until he got Allen back.


	5. June 28th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sloth

Allen lay, splayed out on the couch, aimlessly flipping through the TV channels, trying desperately to ignore the stifling heat. The electric fan whirring away in the corner did little to help, the building's AC having broke in the middle of a heatwave. 

Allen gave a deep sigh, giving up on the TV, opting to just throw the remote on the table and throw his arms over his eyes. Maybe he could sleep away this heat. 

He was close, so very close, when he felt a weight flop on top of him. A very warm, very heavy weight. He gave a grunt of surprise, peeking out from under his arm to see what it was, though he had a good suspicion. Sure enough, when he looked, black curls filled his line of sight, even more curly than usual because of the humidity. Allen groaned in objection. 

“Tyki,” Allen whined, “it’s way too hot for you to be laying on me,” he finished with a huff. Tyki just hummed, snuggling deeper into Allen. 

“Tyki, the only way you’re staying on top of me is if you go out and get an air conditioner.” 

“It’s too hot to move,” Tyki said, his voice muffled by Allen’s chest. Allen groaned again, trying to wiggle out from underneath Tyki. Tyki just shifted his weight, making it harder for Allen to escape, and after a few moments, Allen gave up. Tyki was right, it was too hot to move. They lay there for a couple quite moments, the sound of the fan a nice background noise. 

“Tyki,” Allen growled, Tyki humming in acknowledgement, “I’m serious. Get off.” 

“No,” Tyki said, smirking into Allen’s neck. Allen sighed, he guess he’d have to resort to that. 

Allen placed his hand on Tyki’s ass, a questioning hum coming from the taller man. Allen gave it a squeeze, the questioning hum turning appreciative, before Allen grabbed a chunk and pinched. A yelp left Tyki, shimmying his ass away from Allen, lifting his head to glare at Allen. 

“What was that for?” Tyki said, resting his chin on Allen’s chest. Allen shot the man a look. 

“Get. Off.” Allen said through gritted teeth. Tyki sighed through his nose, eyes rolling up in a contemplative expression. 

“Ah....nope,” Tyki said, smiling at Allen, “I haven’t gotten any cuddles lately so I’m cashing in now.” 

“It’s been too hot for cuddling!” Allen said. He could feel his exposed skin sticking to Tyki’s, wincing at the gross feeling. 

“Oh well,” Tyki sang, laying his head back on Allen’s chest. Allen heaved a deep sigh, caving for the moment. Tyki would doze off, he always did when the cuddled, no matter the temperature, and Allen would just push him off when the time came. 

Then he would make Tyki go get a new air conditioner. After all, it was too hot to move.


	6. June 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Envy

Tyki lounged on the couch, his head resting on his hand. He heaved a deep sigh, eyes watching the head of white hair in front of him. 

“Boy?” Tyki murmured. 

“Hmm?” Allen gave a hum of acknowledgement, his attention on the feather toy in his hands. He trailed it on the hardwood floor in front of him, giving a giggle when the small golden kitten pounced on it. 

“Do you wanna go out? Maybe go watch a movie?” Tyki said, shifting to cross his legs. He stared at the ball of fluff bouncing around on the floor. Allen gave a laugh again, scooping the golden ball up into his arms, smiling as the cat squeaked as Allen cradled him to his chest. He nuzzled the cat's neck, giggling as the fur tickled his face. 

“Sorry Tyki, maybe a different time,” Allen said, wiping the hairs off his face. The kitten nuzzled Allen’s ear before looking at Tyki. Tyki stared at the cat, making a petulant face at it, watching as he started rubbing his head against Allen’s ear. He stopped again, looking over at Tyki, then seeing the other mans eyes on him, head butted Allen and started purring. Tyki’s eyebrows furrowed. Was that cat doing this just because Tyki was watching? He watched Tim chew lightly on Allen’s hair, meowing loudly into his ear. 

“Tim! Shush!” Allen said with a laugh, giving the kitten a kiss. Tim looked over at Tyki again before scrambling out of Allen’s arms, jumping on the feather toy again. Allen giggled, picking up the toy and teasing Tim with it. 

Tyki watched the interaction between the two of them, heaving a sigh. Allen had brought home the little stray cat a couple days ago and since then, Tim had all of Allen’s attention. Even when they where sleeping, Allen cuddled Tim more than Tyki. 

Tyki laid back on the couch, resting his head on his arms, letting another sigh out. 

“Tyki?” 

“Yes?” Tyki replied quickly, looking over at Allen.

“Is something wrong? You’re sighing quite a bit,” Allen questioned, cocking his head to the side. 

“Ah, no, nothing’s wrong,” Tyki said, deflating slightly. 

“Are you sure?” Allen asked. Tyki opened his mouth prepared to tell Allen that yes, he was okay, and no, he was not envious of a small cat. 

“Are you jealous? Of Tim?” Allen said smugly, seemly able to read Tyki’s mind. 

“No, I am not, thank you very much,” Tyki said, crossing his arms and looking away from Allen. He heard Allen chuckle, then the shifting of cloth. He felt a sudden weight on his hips but refused to look at the other man. 

“You’re pouting, Tyki.” Allen giggled, placing his hands on Tyki’s stomach. 

“No, I’m not.” 

“Yes, you are~” Allen singsonged. Tyki looked up at Allen’s smirking face, seeing the mischievous glint in his eye. Tyki hurumphed, turning to look at the couch again. 

“I can assure you, I’m not.” 

He felt Allen shift, could feel him leaning closer before the other male suddenly nipped at his lower lip. 

“What was that for?!” Tyki questioned. He looked at Allen, biting his lip at the face the other was making. That expression never bode well for Tyki...

“If you weren’t pouting, I wouldn’t have been able to do that so easily,” Allen purred, sliding his hands up Tyki’s chest. 

“It’s cute though,” Allen said, leaning forward again, “that you’re jealous of Tim,” he continued, brushing his lips over Tyki’s cheek. 

“I’m not--“ Tyki started, Allen capturing his lips, soundly cutting off Tyki’s protest. Allen slid one of his hands through Tyki’s hair, the other resting on his neck. Tyki dragged his hands up Allen’s thighs, stopping to rest them on Allen’s ass, giving it a light squeeze. He grinned into the kiss as Allen’s breath hitched. Allen pulled away, running his thumb along Tyki’s jaw. 

“Finally, some attention!” Tyki sighed, exasperated. Allen laughed, giving Tyki’s nose a kiss.

“So sorry that I deprived you of attention,” Allen giggled, a meow sounding from below the pair before either could continue. They both looked down to see Tim scrambling, trying to climb onto the couch. Allen laughed and picked him up.

“I’m sorry, Tim, was I ignoring you?” Allen cooed, nuzzling the ball of fur. Tyki frowned. 

“Heeey,” Tyki whined, poking Tim in the stomach. He smirked in delight when Tim let out a squeak of protest, “I had him first, you know.” Allen let out a loud laugh at that. 

“Whatever am I going to do with you two?” Allen sighed, exasperated but loving.


	7. June 30th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Acceptance

Allen sat on the stairs, his legs having gone numb long ago. He buried his head in his knees, his eyes no longer shedding any tears. He should have seen this coming, after all they were on opposite sides of the war. No matter how hard he had hoped and prayed to a god he didn’t believe in, Allen knew that one of them wasn’t coming out of this war alive. 

When the thought had first surfaced, he had pushed it away, buried it in the far reaches of his mind, just like he buried his head in to the neck of his supposed enemy, curling closer to the warm body. 

When he hadn’t seen the dark-haired man in what seemed like forever, the thought would rear its ugly head, send unpleasant whispers through his head, make it seem like maybe this was finally it. 

But, then he would see that familiar frame, that smug smirk, those golden eyes, the wild dark curls, and the thought would disappear, flee away until the next time Allen’s doubts grew. 

This time though, there was no familiar frame, no soft expressions, no whispered words and gentle touchs to dispel Allen’s doubts. This time Allen’s doubts grew and grew until he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t hear the rest of the story from the exorcist that had proudly claimed to defeat one of their most powerful enemies. 

Allen hugged his knees tighter, taking a deep breath. He’d have to get up soon, go to his friends that were surely wondering what was wrong with him, after all he had run from the room when he had heard the news. He’d have to smile, make up a lie, ignore the ache in his chest, pretend everything was fine. 

Pretend like the man he loved hadn’t just been killed. 

Allen lifted his head up, rubbing his itchy eyes. He slowly stood, wincing at his sore body, not knowing how long he had been sitting on the disused staircase. He took another deep breath, turning and slowly making his way up the stairs. Maybe the sooner he got back to his friends, started smiling again, started acting like everything was okay, the sooner this ache would go away. 

Maybe after this ache was gone he would be able to smile for real again.


End file.
